Year 5

DIY pH Experiment: Making a Natural pH Indicator

We make a whole range of pH test strips, so we thought it would be fun for you to try making your own pH
indicator in this DIY pH Experiment. This experiment is brought to you by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.

In this experiment you will make your own pH indicator from red cabbage. Red cabbage contains a
chemical that turns from its natural deep purple color to red in acids and blue in bases. Litmus paper,
another natural pH indicator, also turns red in acids and blue in bases. The red cabbage pH indicator can
be obtained by boiling the cabbage.

Materials:

 sliced red cabbage

 1 quart water

 stove, microwave, or hotplate

 white vinegar

 ammonia or baking soda

 clear, non-cola beverage

 3 glass cups (preferably clear)

 measuring spoons

 3 clean teaspoons for stirring

 measuring cup (1/4 cup)

 notebook and pencil

Instructions:

1. Boil cabbage in a covered pan for 30 minutes or microwave for 10 minutes. (Do not let the water
boil away.)
2. Let cool before removing the cabbage.

3. Pour about 1/4 cup of cabbage juice into each cup.

4. Add 1/2 teaspoon ammonia or baking soda to one cup and stir with a clean spoon.

5. Add 1/2 teaspoon vinegar to second cup, stir with a clean spoon.

6. Add about 1 teaspoon clear non-cola to the last cup and stir with a clean spoon.
 7. After answering the first two questions for this experiment, pour the contents of the vinegar cup
into the ammonia cup.

Questions and Answers

1. What color change took place when you added vinegar to the cabbage juice? Why?

Answer: The vinegar and cabbage juice mixture should change from deep purple to red, indicating that
vinegar is an acid.

2. Did the ammonia turn the cabbage juice pH indicator red or blue? Why?

Answer: The ammonia and cabbage juice mixture should change from deep purple to blue, because
ammonia, like baking soda, is a base, which reacts chemically with the pH indicator, turning it blue.

3. What happens to the color if you pour the contents of the vinegar cup into the ammonia cup?

Answer: You should find that the acid and base are neutralized, changing the color from blue or red to
purple, which is the original, neutral color of the cabbage juice.

4. If you were to gradually add vinegar to the cup containing the baking soda (or ammonia) and
cabbage juice, what do you think would happen to the color of the indicator? Try it, stirring
constantly.

Answer: As you add more vinegar, the acid level increases and the color becomes red.

5. Is the non-cola soft drink acidic or basic?

Answer: It is acidic and turns the cabbage juice pH indicator red.

This experiment was brought to you by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Visit their website for
more fun experiments you can do at home! And to go a step further, check out this experiment that uses
red cabbage to make pH paper!

Year 4
Experiment: Which Materials Conduct Heat Best?

From Kid Scientist, the no-nonsense science blog for kids

This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content
or contain faulty links. Contact [email protected] to report an issue.

Our Ein-O kit has four experiments, all having to do with heat. Our
experiment demonstrated how different kinds of materials conduct heat. A
conductor is a material that energy can pass through. So our experiment tried
to show how heat travels through different kinds of materials.

n the experiment, we got a ceramic bowl from our kitchen and attached four
types of material to the inside of the bowl. The kinds of material were: a
wooden pencil, a plastic tube, a plastic ruler, and a metal spoon. All of the
materials except for the metal spoon were included in the Ein-O kit.

To stick the materials to the inside of the bowl, we used bits of modeling clay,
which was also included in the kit.
The kit also included some plastic marker discs that we stuck onto the
materials with some butter. The idea is that the warm water in the bowl would
travel up the materials and melt the butter, causing the plastic markers to
slide off the materials. The materials that were better heat conductors would
melt the butter more quickly.

After the materials were stuck to the inside of the bowl, we filled the bowl with
warm water. It took us a few trials to figure out how much water to use and
how warm we needed to get it. In our first trial, we heated 500 milliliters of
water for 120 seconds, which made the water pretty hot. This turned the
modeling clay to sticky goo after we poured it into the bowl. We noticed that if
the modeling clay got too hot, it was too soft to hold the spoon onto the side of
the bowl and the spoon would fall over. In our final successful trial, we used
400 milliliters of tap water warmed in the microwave for about 75 seconds.

We also had to make sure not to let the warm water touch the modeling clay.
We did this by moving the modeling clay up to the rim of the bowl in our third
trial.
There was one last problem, though. In the third trial, we placed the markers
too high, and the heat wasn’t strong enough to travel up the materials to melt
the butter and move the markers.
During all the trials Celeste wrote down the time that we started and finished.
During the third trial we waited about twenty minutes for something to
happen, but because the markers were so high, nothing ever happened. During
the third trial Celeste spent much of her time drawing pictures of princesses in
her research notebook.
Finally, in the fourth trial, we moved the markers down so they were closer to
the water. This time we were able to figure out from our experiment that the
metal spoon conducted heat much more quickly than the wood or plastic. The
marker slid off the spoon about three minutes after we poured the warm water
into the bowl.
We don’t know exactly how long it took the butter to melt, because at the time
the marker slid off the spoon, we were downstairs helping Mom unload
groceries from the car. But we know that the spoon conducted heat the best
because when we got back upstairs, none of the other markers had moved.
We’ve posted more photos of this experiment over on Flickr.
Year 2
Abstract
This science fair project was performed to investigate the relationship between the shape of a

parachute and its drop velocity. Triangular, square, rectangular and round parachutes were used.

Hypothesis

Among the parachutes, the round parachute will take the longest to land.

Background

How a parachute works

There are 2 forces at work when a parachute descends. The force of gravity pulls an object to the

earth. It causes elevated objects to fall from their place. If however, the object is attached to a

parachute, an upward drag force is exerted on the object as well. This is because there is a certain

level of air resistance against a parachute’s canopy, and this slows down the objects fall.

If a jumper descends too quickly, he may reach the ground too soon and hurt himself. When a jumper

uses a parachute that has a large canopy, his drop velocity reduces, and he will descend safely.

Generally, it is safe to land at a speed of up to 5km/h.

Currently, parachutes come in various shapes and sizes. For military and cargo drops, it is important

to use round or mushroom shaped parachutes. These take advantage of the greater amount of air

drag during descent. Extreme sports enthusiasts seldom use round parachutes.

When a jumper uses a rectangular parachute, he experiences a fast descent plus forward motion. The

jumper then needs to run when he/she lands.

Scientific Terms
Gravity, drag, force, air resistance, velocity

Materials

The materials required for this science fair project are as follows:

- 4 plastic bags that each have a surface area of at least 500 square centimeters
- 15 threads that each are about 400 mm long

- 4 washers that have a weight of about 5g each

- a measuring tape

- a stopwatch

- an assistant

- a building with a balcony on its second floor

Procedure

1. For this science fair project, the independent variable is the shape of the parachutes’ canopies. The

dependent variable is the drop speeds of the parachutes. How long does it take for the parachutes to

reach the ground? Measure this using a stopwatch. The constants (control variables) are the surface

area of the canopies, the weight of the nails, and the height from which the parachutes are dropped. 

2. Cut a triangle, a square, a rectangle and a circle from 4 plastic bags. Each shape should have an

area of 500 square centimeters. Calculate how long the sides and diameters of the shapes should be,

before cutting them out. 

3. Punch 3 holes in the corners of the triangular canopy. Punch 4 holes in the corners of the square

and rectangular canopies, and 4 holes in the round canopy. Tie 1 end of the strings to the holes in the

canopies and the other end of the strings to the washers. 

4. With the help of an assistant, measure the length of the distance between a balcony on the second

storey the building, and the ground. Use a long measuring tape. This distance shall be the drop

distance. 

5. Have your assistant drop the parachutes from the balcony while you wait downstairs with the

stopwatch. At the same time, ensure that the parachutes do not land on passersby. 

6. Calculate the drop speed of the parachute and record in the table below. Use the formula below: 

Drop speed = distance traveled / time taken 

Gravity, drag, force, air resistance, velocity

Observation

The round parachute took the longest amount of time to land and the triangular parachute took the
least amount of time.

Shapes of parachutes Drop height (mm) Drop time (s) Drop velocity (mm/s)

Triangle 4800 2.9 1655.2

Square 4800 3.3 1454.5

Rectangle 4800 3.1 1548.4

Round 4800 3.6 1333.3

The chart below represents the results of our science experiment

Conclusion
The hypothesis holds true: among the parachutes, the round one took the longest amount of time to

land. The round canopy had the least amount of air that escaped from its sides, fully utilizing its

surface area by building up air resistance and lowering the drop velocity.

In previous wars, the military used parachutes to drop paratroopers and supplies safely beyond

enemy lines. At present, they are used primarily for humanitarian purposes; to deliver medicine and

food to inaccessible areas (these areas may be inaccessible because of their remoteness or because

they have been hit by natural disasters). For extreme sports enthusiasts, parachuting, skydiving and

base jumping are popular activities.